We've got a packed night of baseball this Friday with 15 games on the MLB betting board and the first game not beginning until 6:40 p.m. ET. Sometimes the best value in player prop betting is by putting money on under-the-radar players, but today I'm backing the Cy Young frontrunner and a pair of the best sluggers in the majors.
Here are our three favorite MLB player prop picks for July 8.
MLB props for July 8
Picks made on 7/08/2022 at 11 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2022 MLB season, here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) New users at FanDuel can bet $5 and get $200 in free bets — regardless of if your bet wins or loses! Sign Up Now
B) New users can get two risk-free bets up to $2,000 at PointsBet! Sign Up Now
*Eligible USA locations only
Today’s best MLB prop bets
The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.
Shane reigns
The first game on the baseball betting board this evening takes place between the Tampa Rays and the Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds have been somewhat competitive after an ugly 3-22 start to the year but still rank just 26th in the majors in OPS (.682) and strikeout rate (23.7%). Although the Reds have a more impressive .737 OPS in the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, their strikeout rate remains just as bad at 24%.
That's bad news for Cincy fans with AL Cy Young odds favorite Shane McClanahan toeing the rubber for Tampa Bay. The southpaw leads the majors in strikeout rate (36%) and is second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.2). He also has extremely high chase and whiff rates and throws strikes on a whopping 68% of all pitches, which indicates that he'll likely be able to sustain his brilliance.
McClanahan is coming off a 10-strikeout performance against the Blue Jays and has fanned at least eight batters in five of his last six starts.
Shane McClanahan Prop: Over 7.5 strikeouts (+120)
Stone Cold Austin
Braves slugger Austin Riley has been red hot, batting .516 with four doubles and three dingers over his last eight games. Riley is now fifth in the majors in total bases (173) while ranking fourth in hard-hit percentage (55.7%).
Expect Riley to continue raking tonight at home against the Nationals. The Nats are starting Erick Fedde, who is among the bottom 20th percentile of pitchers in hard-hit percentage and has an ERA of 4.29 with a 1.41 WHIP.
It won't get any better for the Nats after Fedde comes out of the game, with their bullpen ranking 26th in the majors in both ERA (4.50) and OBA (.251). With Riley going 7-18 in his career against Fedde, I'm hammering the Over 1.5 on his total bases.
Austin Riley Prop: Over 1.5 total bases (-110)
Deflating Brady
After a terrific start to the season, Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez has hit a bit of a rough patch batting just .184 in his last 10 games. That said, the three-time Silver Slugger recipient is still seventh in the majors in both OPS (.940) and total bases (166).
Tonight, the Guardians will take on the Royals, who are sending Brady Singer and his 4.58 ERA at home to the mound. Singer has allowed 19 hits and 10 runs through 18 1-3 innings over his last three starts.
Those numbers look even worse when you consider that those outings came against the two worst offenses in the majors in the Tigers and A's. Singer relies heavily on his sinker, which is an offering that Ramirez has a whopping .902 slugging percentage against.
Singer previously pitched against the Guardians back on April 10 and surrendered six hits and four runs in three innings. Ramirez went 3-4 at Kauffman Stadium in that contest with a double and a home run. Back Ramirez to break out of his slump today and take the Over 1.5 on his total bases.
Jose Ramirez Prop: Over 1.5 total bases (+110)
Did you know that if you played today’s MLB props as a parlay, you could win $78.20 on a $10 bet?
Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
